'Govt's proposed legislation seeks to legitimize, forego massive corruption'

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) central leader Mohsin Shahnawaz Ranjha has alleged that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government is pushing legislation to grant itself an "NRO" for its "horrible" acts of massive corruption through an ordinance put forward on 28th December 2019.

Speaking at a news conference, Mohsin Ranjha said the ordinance was shared by Shehzad Akbar. He pointed out that the proposed legislation seeks to legitimise and forego the massive corruption and cost escalation in the Peshawar BRT project, the Mallam Jabba scandal, Billion Tree Tsunami project, and their likes.

He said the so-called justice and accountability savvy PTI had halted the accountability over the Peshawar BRT project through such stay order against the court's proceedings. He said to burry this chapter and others like it, this December 28th Ordinance seeks to forgive and declare all those acts of corruption as done in good faith for the good of the country.

This, he said, is the real NRO which the government had been so desperate for that some very important government officials even begged for its approval to the opposition, which is proof because one only begs when they know that they are guilty.

Mohsin Ranjha said the ordinance is not a secret document but part of the record because the government is pushing for this NRO in the National Assembly Standing Committee for Law and Order. He said Farogh Naseem is making special efforts to get this NRO passed and approved.

This, he said, is the truth of this government and proof of how the PTI is the only entity desperately demanding an NRO. The PMLN had no interest in an NRO because it is already bravely facing the fake cases filed by the PTI government.

The PML-N central leader said the PMLN does not care if the imposed PTI government wants to continue using this NAB as an instrument of persecution. But he said as the representative of the people, the party has a responsibility to reform the country and institutions for the better.

He pointed out, "the former Chief Justice Asif Saeed Khosa pointed out that NAB was being used for political victimisation and had become an instrument of political engineering. He said Justice Baqir too criticised the years or imprisonment by NAB without any reference being filed. Did these two senior judges criticised NAB and called for its reforms because they were seeking an NRO? PML-N also called for the same, for reformation of the institution, not for NRO, PTI can keep NAB just for PMLN if it wishes to, the party has in the past and will continue bravely facing the fictitious cases".

Ranjha held Imran Khan responsible for all the people that had "died in the NAB custody" because of its "draconian persecution".

He mentioned Aslam Masood on 17th August 2020, Engineer Eijaz Memon on 31 May 2020, Advocate Zafar Iqbal Mughal, Raja Asif, Brigadier Retd Asad Munir, Muhammad Nasir Beg, Professor Dr Tahir Amin, Qaiser Abbas, Chaudhry Arshad, Muhammad Saleem Professor Javed Ahmed and many more who were "killed in the NAB custody due to torture".

He said the PML-N had always not just cooperated on the FATF legislation but took the lead by proposing all 300 amendments that were approved. The PML-N and the opposition only opposed the infringement of the constitutional right of privacy, protection and due process before arresting anyone.

It opposed the warrant less arrests with no right to appeal and prolonged undisclosed and unspecified detention, because those are signatures of a "tyrannical police state".

The PTI government should be ashamed of itself for tagging call for constructive reforms to NAB as demand for NRO, while it is pushing and begging for NRO for itself and its ministers in the current and previous KPK government, he said.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2020